Mystery Girl
by tenarmauve
Summary: Harry meets with a new student at Hogwarts and is confronted with her disturbing abilty to know what he's feeling...who is she, really? Please review for me!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I own Cecilia Hetts, and besides that nothing else.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione sat around the Gryffindor table, watching the Sorting Ceremony. Ron didn't care more or less about who was sorted where, and he gazed longingly at the bare platters in front of him, holding his stomach. Harry and Hermione, however, spotted something unusual about the line of first-years up front. A very tall girl stood at the end of the line, impossibly tall for a first-year. Harry leant over to whisper in Hermione's ear.  
"Who d'you reckon she is?" he asked.  
"No idea, Harry. But she is big, isn't she?" Ron looked up from the platters, and turned to Hermione.  
"Who is big?" he inquired, looking around.  
"Honestly, Ron, don't you notice anything but the plates?" Hermione said, exasperated. She pointed to the line of first-years and indicated the tall one.  
"Wow, she's huge! D'you think she could be a half-giant, like Hagrid?" Ron said loudly. Harry nodded.  
"You could be right, mate. She definitely has the size." , he added.  
"Shh.it's starting!" Hermione whispered urgently.  
Professor McGonagall was entering the Great Hall carrying the Sorting Hat. She placed it on the stool, and stood back. The hat's brim opened wide, and without further ado began to sing.  
  
"Four houses are your destiny,  
All for a different quality,  
But in the wizarding world  
No longer will you be divided,  
You must think as one,  
Move as one,  
And show your lot of loyalty,  
Bravery,  
Cunning,  
And wit.  
I do not sort to separate,  
But rather to eliminate,  
All the enmity between you,  
So hear me well,  
I beg you,  
Be you in strong Gryffindor,  
Or in true Hufflepuff,  
Maybe in clever Ravenclaw,  
Or in sly Slytherin,  
Unite as one and delegate  
Under one flag and celebrate,  
Only when the Dark Lord has gone,  
And this second war you've won."  
  
The whole school was quiet, and no one moved an inch. It was the second year in a row the hat had warned the school about unity and staying together. Professor McGonagall felt that this was her cue, so she said, "Let the sorting begin. Amber, Leslie!" she began, and one by one the line of first-years was thinning. Oddly, though, there were only a few new Slytherins this year. The other houses received quite a handful of students, but Slytherin gained only five or so. Harry then noticed that the Slytherin table wasn't cheering or booing anyone, which was very unusual. However, Harry was tugged on the sleeve by Hermione, and he snapped out of his reverie.  
"She's going to be sorted." , was all Hermione said, but Harry understood and watched attentively.  
"Hetts, Cecilia."  
The tall girl walked calmly to the stool and put on the hat. It slipped over her head and was silent for a while. Then, "Gryffindor!" , it shouted, and Cecilia Hetts strode over to the Gryffindor table, all beaming. But to Harry's surprise, she didn't join the first-years at the end of the table but rather joined Lavender and Parvati. He was still puzzling over this when Hermione said, "Hi. My name's Hermione. Are you a sixth year?" Before Hermione got an answer, Dumbledore stood up. "All students, welcome. We will now begin our feast. Tuck in!" , he said, and suddenly, the plates in the Great Hall filled with mashed potatoes, pudding, roast beef, and an assortment of other delicacies. While filling her plate, Cecilia answered Hermione's question.  
"Yep. Came from America. My father is working at the Ministry of Magic now. He replaced someone named Umbich or something like that." Between a mouthful of mashed potatoes, Ron snorted loudly.  
"Sorry," , he apologized, "but that is the perfect name for that demon."  
"Actually," Hermione looked at Ron witheringly, "her name is Umbridge. She was our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher last year. She was something of a dictator." , she said, dishing up some roast beef.  
"Oh," Cecilia laughed, "It's OK to talk ill of teachers in front of me. I'm used to it."  
"So, which part of America do you come from, exactly?" Harry asked curiously.  
"Pennsylvania. It's lovely over there. Not that I don't like it here," ,she laughed, "but I get homesick sometimes." A look of cloudy desolation crossed her face, but soon she cheered up and smiled again.  
"So, you do go to a wizarding school? Like us?" Ron asked. Hermione rolled her eyes and Cecilia laughed.  
"Yes, I do. What's the name?" she inquired of Ron, who immediately swallowed his mouthful of beef.  
"Ron Weasley." , he said, a look of utmost pride upon his face.  
"And you?" she indicated Harry.  
"This is Harry Potter." Ron said.  
"Interesting. Nice to meet you." Harry was relieved that she didn't try to look at his scar, something everyone stared at when they first met.  
"By the way, Ron, what's up with Fred and George? How's business going for them?" Harry asked Ron. Two years ago he had given his Triwizard winnings to the twins to start a joke shop. Last year, they fled from school to open a shop called "Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes" in Diagon Alley.  
"Well, they come home once in a while, you know, and Mum isn't very happy, though now she lets them do it. She said it's their future and if they want to ruin it it's up to them. I think she'll soon get over it, though." Ron said as-a-matter-of-factly ,and added only so Harry and Hermione could hear him, "Percy is not coming home though. I bet you he's still sulking somewhere out there, hiding his face. Mum just can't forget him. After all, he's the one who's acting like a git." Percy, Ron's third oldest brother, had defied Voldemort's return and turned against his family to ally with the Minister for Magic himself. He only had done this then to prove himself wrong, for it was finally concluded that Voldemort was indeed back again.  
At this moment, Dumbledore stood up and opened his hands to the crowd of students.  
"Greetings, all students. I do hope you all had a good holiday, and that you will enjoy this year more than ever. We have an interesting line of first-years, including one sixth year who has moved here from America." There was a general applause for Cecilia and the first-years. "For Defense Against the Dark Arts, since we have run through all our previous teachers, not being able to keep them, I will be teaching that subject this year." Most students clapped, but some from the Slytherin table didn't budge, and nor did Harry expect them to. "Quidditch tryouts will be held two weeks into the semester, and I must also remind all of you that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to everyone. Mr. Filch has also posted up the notes for illegal, er, toys that you might be playing with. Students who wish to go to Hogsmeade had better keep a good record with Filch, or he will keep you out-of-bounds from the village. I would also like to advise you all to listen to the Sorting Hat's song this year, for what it says is true. We will only be strong if united. OK, that is enough for me now, I would like to ask all of you to leave this hall, and follow the Prefects and Head of Houses to your dormitories. Good night." Dumbledore said, and sat down. Harry watched Dumbledore closely during the whole speech and he thought that he had somewhat lost some energy that was there all the years before this one. Hermione seemed to notice the same thing.  
"You know," she said, "I think that Dumbledore's job is costing him a lot. He wasn't as cheery as usual tonight."  
"I know," Harry said, "he did seem really old and tired today. Maybe it's the Order." The moment Harry had said that, he automatically regretted it. Old memories of Grimmauld Place, the Order's headquarters, flooded back into his head, and every single one of them seemed to be filled with the image of Sirius' face. He felt the stabbing pain for a moment, and he continued to be silent that night, something Ron and Hermione didn't notice, because they were bickering yet again. Since the summer back in Privet Drive, Harry's temper had somewhat decreased. When Dudley or Uncle Vernon began to pester him, he just let them get through with it and then left them alone.  
When finally the last person had went upstairs, Harry could no longer hide his feelings. He just sat there, head in hands, taking slow breaths to calm his trembling hands. All of a sudden, a soothing something entered his feelings, smoothing out his pains and troubles. He had no idea what it was, but it felt so good after all the agony he had to face. A hand touched his shoulder. He whipped around and saw Cecilia standing there in her nightgown.  
"Harry? Why are you still up?" she asked him. How different her accent was, Harry realized.  
"Oh, I um. I'm not tired yet." , he said quickly.  
"BS. I know your tired. Just cut the crap and tell me why." Cecilia looked somehow concerned, and Harry decided to ignore her odd use of diction.  
"Oh, nothing much. Just. a little stressed." , he answered in a falsely bright voice, "You know how annoying relatives can get over the holidays."  
"You better know that you're not fooling me, but likewise, I can't force you to tell me anything." She walked to the stairs and turned back. "Goodnight."  
Slowly standing, Harry trudged upstairs to his dormitory and collapsed into bed without changing. It's been a long holiday, he thought. Now it's going to be a long school year. 


	2. New Friend

Disclaimer: I only own Cecilia Claine  
  
Chapter 2  
  
After a while Cecilia began to become one of Harry's best friends, besides Hermione and Ron. She was a like a girl-Ron, with more sensitivity though. She liked jokes and risks and Harry bet that if she met George and Fred she would make them her mentors. She had straight dark brown hair and hazel eyes, with a tanned complexion and a friendly grin. Hermione liked her presence especially, claiming that she was tired of boys' stuff and crazes like Quidditch. It turned out Cecilia liked Quidditch immensely too, but in respect for Hermione kept her raptures out of Hermione's earshot. Cecilia proved to be a better student than Ron and Harry, always doing homework properly and participating in class. However, Harry had the feeling that there was more to her that met the eye.  
For instance, once Harry had caught her crying like her heart was breaking on the couch in the common room, late at night. Not wanting to embarrass her, he began to tiptoe upstairs. He put his foot on the step-  
"Harry? Is that you?" came the husky voice. Unable to avoid her seeing him, Harry turned around.  
"Er.yeah, just heading to bed now. Goodnight." He turned away before she could say anything more and jogged upstairs. When he was safely under his covers, he just realized something. How did she know I was there?, he thought. I was very quiet and I didn't make a noise. He chose to believe that she had just turned around at the exact moment and seen him.  
The next morning, nothing was mentioned of it. Harry seemed to think that she didn't want to bother, so why should he? Cecilia signed up for Quidditch and was accepted as a Chaser to replace Angelina Johnson, who had left the year before. For a rookie at Hogwarts she was extremely good, almost surpassing Katie and Alicia. She claimed that she had lots of practice in America, though she never made the team. "Never made the team?", Ron exclaimed, "What do you mean? You're fantastic! Some people in Hogwarts just don't get how to fly, no matter how often they're taught. And here you are, flying like you were born to fly, and claiming you'd never joined a team!" Hermione seemed slightly hurt. "Oh, of course some people are good at flying Ron, but who do you mean exactly by those some people who just don't get how to fly?" she said icily. "Erm, well. Neville's never been much of a Quidditch player, and there's still.." "Please don't give me that Neville excuse." Hermione snapped, and walked a bit faster. "Ron, you'd better apologize before she gets worse." Harry said. Ron shrugged. "Honestly, the way she acts, you'd think I was mentioning her personally.", he grumbled, but stalked off to apologize anyway. Cecilia laughed. "The way those two behave, like they can't leave it at rest.", she giggled. "Yeah," Harry agreed, "I'm just waiting for the day they'll actually fall for each other, then they'll start ripping each other apart." They both laughed at the imagination of Ron and Hermione falling for each other. Then Harry spotted Cho Chang walking down the corridor. He groaned inwardly and averted his face. Cho never blinked an eye or showed any sign of recognizing he was even there, and walked past daintily. Cecilia was watching the scene with amusement on her face. Once Cho had walked out of sight, she asked Harry, "An ex of yours?" He didn't grasp what she meant, so he said, "Huh? What is it?" "An ex-girlfriend of yours?" she said, straining the "ex-girlfriend". This time Harry caught on and blushed a deep crimson. "Something like that, yeah.", he grunted miserably. He no longer liked Cho, but meeting her was still a pain. After all, it was not his fault they had broke up, he insisted to himself. Cecilia was eyeing him with a smug air. "I knew it. Tell me what happened.", she inquired nosily. Somehow her nonchalance inspired Harry to tell her the tale more than the concern Hermione had shown or the fit of giggles Ron had displayed when they asked for a full revelation. So he told her what happened with the DA and her friend who was actually a betrayer, also the way Cho had insistently stood up for Marrieta (her friend's name) and called Hermione mean for setting up the jinx on the signed piece of parchment. When Harry described that the jinx functioned to form the word "sneak" in big, blotchy, red dots, Cecilia burst out laughing. "That's a really clever jinx Hermione performed. And anyway, Marrieta deserved what she got.", Cecilia said. "Hey, Harry! Wanna practice some Quidditch?" A voice called. It was Lee Jordan, the twins' old pal. He was the new beater to replace the poor substitutes for Fred and George Weasley. Of course, the team was looking for another beater, but they would have to settle with one for the time being. "Good idea, Lee. You wanna come?", Harry asked Cecilia. "Sure. No harm in it." , she said in her American accent. Harry sometimes found this accent hard to ignore. She was catching up fast with her British accent, but at times she forgot to use it. Not to mention she had a different diction. Just yesterday she called Ron "dude" and she usually swore with "Crap!". Harry now understood the full meaning of the words she used, but they were still foreign to his ears. It reminded him of having the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students over. He laughed to himself, remembering Viktor Krum, an international Quidditch player, trying to say Hermione's name properly. It never worked, and he settled with " 'Ermee-o- ninny". When they arrived in the Quidditch pitch ten minutes later, they started to fly immediately. Harry even challenged Cecilia to a contest of who could catch the Snitch first, while Lee practiced whacking Bludgers. Harry and Cecilia had a tight game, but Harry easily outstripped her in the final dive and caught the Snitch first. "You're good.", she commented simply but like she really meant what she was saying. Harry beamed. "Thanks.", he answered, then said, "Hey, why don't we start a game with Lee?" An hour later they abandoned the game, because darkness was falling quick. Lee and Cecilia went to the change rooms to get changed, but Harry wanted to get changed in his dormitory, so he waited outside in the setting sun. Drowsily, Harry looked around him: the stadium, the forest, the castle. How he felt at home here. How safe and happy he felt here. With all his friends in substitute for the Dursleys, Harry was content. Then he spotted the place he had seen Sirius in dog form a long time ago, when he didn't know Sirius was his godfather. Immediately a world of darkness fell on his heart. He couldn't stand this any longer, he said to himself. And oh, the pain he felt! It was much worse than when his scar was hurting or when the Dark Lord himself had applied the Cruciatus curse on him, and now he understood why. All those things were physical pains, and they would heal after a while, but this, this was his heart, his very soul. A sound of running feet came from behind him, and before the person reached him, a presence of comforting entered his feelings, trying to soothe his ruffled and hurt spirit. Silently, he heard, no, not heard , Harry thought, but felt a something say, "I can't do anything for you, but please don't think about those you can't bring back too often. You pain me as equally as you pain yourself." He was not aware of it, but Cecilia's hand was on his shoulder, shaking him gently, saying, "Harry, are you OK? Say something, Harry!" He was also kneeling on the damp grass and his eyes were streaming. As soon as the something had finished speaking to him, he felt a degree calmer and wiped his face, looking into the face of Cecilia. There was something in her eyes more than sympathy, he realized. Then a weird revelation came to him. She knows, Harry thought. She knows exactly how I feel. How this came to him he didn't quite understand. After all, the look she gave him was one of pity, not understanding. But her eyes spoke it loud and clear. "Have you ever lost someone you really care for?", he asked her impulsively. Her mouth formed an O, but just then Lee appeared. "Ready? Let's go back.", he said, and trudged in the direction of the castle. Cecilia nodded and followed at a slow pace. Harry noticed something else strange. Cecilia was only half out of her Quidditch attire. Her boots were still on and so were her shin guards. It was as if.she had come outside to a calling of emergency. He tried to brush away this thought, but it remained firmly lodged in his brain. Could this Cecilia really be something else? Something.other than an innocent school girl? Harry shook himself mentally. Stop it, he said to himself. That's ridiculous. Even so, he couldn't help to still doubt himself all night long. 


End file.
